Damsels in Distress
by That Girl55
Summary: Meg has a habit of picking the wrong guys at the wrong time. Modern AU where Hercules is a cop and Hades is in a biker gang and Meg is caught somewhere in the middle. Trigger warning for abuse.


Meg-early 1990s Julia Roberts

Hades-Ryan Phillippe with Blue hair

Hercules-Brock O'Hurn

()()()

Meg bit her lip, red high heels clicking on the pavement as she walked as quickly as possible. She had to go, before he came back.

It was too late though, and she should know by now it only made it worse to run. The Fireballs liked their women to listen to them, and Meg was infamous for disobeying that rule.

He grabbed her by her arm, his blue hair shimmering in the streetlights, and pulled her into an alley.

"What are you doing?" She asked, yanking her arm away from him. He put an arm on either side of her, blocking her exit.

"You should know by now, an old lady never leaves the bar without her man. It raises suspicion." Hades said, twirling a curly piece of her hair around his finger.

She felt his leather jacket brush up against her skin, and remembered the way it felt at first.

In the beginning she loved him, she really did. He was a couple years older than her, already graduated but he still hung around the high school-pushing drugs, they said. He caught her old boyfriend kicking her around in the parking lot after school, and he stopped him. He nearly beat the boy's face in, pummeling him against the pavement and covering his leather jacket in blood.

Afterwards, he drove her home. He promised never to hit her, and he lied. It didn't take long into their relationship to figure that one out.

He excited her at first, the feel of riding on his bike after dark with the rest of the Fireballs Gang, leather flapping up against her cold skin. They would drive to the beach a lot, sometimes with the gang, sometimes alone. She'd get cold and he'd wrap his jacket around her, with nothing but her bikini underneath. They'd often drive home like that, ignoring the stares from people in cars as she rested her head against his back. People like that didn't know what it meant to belong to someone so fully you would do anything for them.

It hadn't been more than a year though, and already they'd fallen apart.

"Are you listening to me?" He said, grabbing her arm so roughly he'd left bruises. She didn't respond, and he slapped her.

She was used to it now, she no longer flinched. She'd had it coming since the day he saved her from the last boy.

"I don't want to do this anymore," She said finally, shaking her head. Her lips quivered, red lipstick jumping up and down, and her eyes looked down at her feet.

"Do what?" He asked, reaching a hand up to her face. She thought he'd hit her again, but instead he cupped her chin. She pulled her face away.

"You know what I mean,"

"I need to hear you say it."

"I don't want to be with you, Hades!" She shouted, closing her eyes and waiting for another punch to come.

It never did.

He threw her on the ground instead, climbing on top of her and shaking her shoulders violently, cursing and spitting as he wrapped his hands around her neck.

Hades hadn't been kidding when he said no one left the Fireballs Gang alive.

The darkness was closing in on her, her feet stopped their kicking, when she heard another voice.

"Hey! Get off her!"

It was foreign and strange, the remainders of an accent somewhere in there. She wondered briefly if it was an angel.

Meg's eyes were still closed as Hades was pulled off of her. She laid there for a while, struggling to breath again, and then darkness came.

()()()

"Ma'am, are you alright? Ma'am?"

A large hand shook her gently, and she moaned.

"Goddamn, my throat is killing me." She shook her head, standing up too quickly. She almost fell back down, but his arms latched on to her and held her steady.

"I'm Hercules," He said, shaking her hand.

"Ah, Greek name. You from there?"

"I was born there," He nodded. "My grandfather brought me here when I was fourteen."

"You can't still be in high school," she shook her head, her mouth agape.

The man in front of her was six foot seven at least, and boy was he beautiful.

"No, I'm not." He smiled, laughing a little. "I graduated two years ago, I'm a police officer."

"Lucky me then," She smiled.

"Is that your, uh, boyfriend?"

"Yeah," She blushed. "Well, ex now, I guess."

"Do you want to file a report?"

She froze, her smile falling. She hadn't even thought of that. She stood there for a moment, but finally Meg shook her head.

"I can't, they'll come after me if I do that."

"They?"

"He's part of that gang, the motorcycle one, you know? The Fireballs. They name themselves after a bottle of whiskey and they think they're so original." She rolled her eyes, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "Anyways, I can't file a report. Sorry Wonderboy."

"Wonderboy, huh?" He blushed slightly. His accent was more prominent when he was embarrassed.

"Yeah, you did save me you know. He probably would've killed me." She shrugged.

"And you seem to be taking that awfully lightly." He scoffed. "Look, how about I take you down to the station and you can decide there?"

"No, no more cops."

"To the hospital?"

"No doctors either." She shook her head frantically. "Look, can you just take me home. I mean, not to the apartment, I live with him, but to my mother's, maybe?"

"Sure," He smiled. "C'mon,"

He led her to a maroon truck parked a little farther down the street.

"What, no cop car?" She teased. "I thought you were an officer."

"I'm off duty," He shrugged. "I was headed over to my grandfather's for a family dinner, but that'll have to wait now."

"The job comes first, I guess."

"I always had a thing for the damsel in distress," He winked.

"So did Hades," She rolled her eyes. "So much that he made me one, just so he could save me again."

There was a long lull of silence, nothing but the hum of the radio.

"Are you going to go back to him?" Hercules finally asked.

"I don't think so," She shook her head. "Not this time."

"Give me your number," He smiled, fishing out his phone. "Just incase."

She looked over at him, his long hair and his big hands. He wasn't Hades, she had to keep reminding herself, but he could be so much like him.

"This is how I met Hades, you know. The guy who was beating me up." She sank lower in her seat. "My old boyfriend hit me too. Hades saw him, and he saved me. Then look what he turned into."

Hercules went silent, pulling up to the brownstone just outside of the city.

"I understand," He said, putting his phone away.

"It's not you, I think I've just sworn off guys for a while now." She smiled, undoing her seatbelt.

"Well, you know where to call if you change your mind about that report. I'll vouch for you."

"Of course," She smiled. "Thanks."

She got out of the car and went into the brownstone, waving at the maroon truck as it drove off, and wondering how she'd explain this to her mom.

()()()

Meg made the phone call the very next day-she was done being a victim.

"Hello, New York Police Department. This is Hannah speaking. What can we do for you today?"

"Hi, is there a Hercules there?"

"May I ask who this is?"

Meg frowned, realizing he'd never gotten her name.

"Can you tell him there's a, uh, damsel in distress on the line for him? I think he'll know what I mean."

The girl huffed, walking away from the phone.

"Hello, Officer Panthos speaking?"

"Hey wonderboy," Meg smiled.

"Damsel in distress, huh? Very creative. Did you change your mind about pressing charges?"

"No, but I did change it about something else." She smiled. "It's Megara, by the way, but everyone calls me Meg. How about you pick me up when you get off work and take me out some place nice?"

"Very forward," He smiled. "I think I like it. I'll see you at eight then."

"Goodbye, Wonderboy."

"Goodbye, Meg."

Meg had to start thinking long term, she couldn't ride around with a blue haired boy on a motorcycle forever. But a police officer in a maroon truck, that was someone she could see herself with for a long time.


End file.
